This is the 2nd story in this mini animated series 'When I was your age' entitled 'The Coloured Stools' set in Sunny Singapore in the 1970s. It's about our time in Singapore when I was a little girl, a true incident that took place at People's Park Shopping Complex when a normal fun day at the mall turned into quite an unnerving experience of a lifetime.

It's an edutaining way for children to learn a little more about Singapore's history, multi-culture, languages and ethnicities with a personal note on what it was like raising two young children in this home away from home for the author Noella - A tribute to this beautiful safe haven.

'When I was your age' is a mini animated series featuring short and sweet anecdotes passed down from one generation to the next through shared memories, bringing old world charm and the simplicity of "the good old days" alive through imaginative storytelling, emotive narration and character voices. Stories that grandparents remember, parents can share, and children will treasure; bringing Asia's old world charm to life for a new generation.

These stories are nostalgic and are meant to be a beautiful bonding opportunity between generations introducing new age kids to a bygone era offering cultural context, reflective takeaways with a glossary of terms and popular English phrases with their meanings... edutaining for young minds.

The intention is for this story to be part of a series of stories, originating in the Asian region, highlighting the culture, people and anecdotes of the past. All stories in these series will begin with, “When I was about your age.....” Children enjoy stories narrated by their own parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts as it gives them a feeling of connection, history and bonds them to their roots, grounding them and adding a sense of identity, which then lends beautifully to their personality development. The intention is for more such refreshing short stories to be carried forward for posterity.

Kids will get insights into the country of origin, presenting a flavour of the land, its people and their culture in a novel, subtle way making it interesting enough for little minds to absorb.

The difference between traditional folk tales or far-fetched, some even a bit horrifying, fairy tales and these stories is their simplicity and uniqueness, all based on true life incidents or every day family life, related by actual relatives, drawing from their own childhood memory bank. Young kids will be delighted and will very easily relate to stories such as this.

This story does not have an obvious moral or learning. But if parents were to look closely, play it over and discuss the story and the characters with their child, they could teach them valuable life lessons and get them in the ‘healthy curiosity’ habit to learn more by delving into the minute details. Parents are encouraged to explain the 'Glossary of terms', the English phrases relevant to this story, the explanations and the discussion notes at the end of each story, which will offer a holistic perspective.

We invite you to share, like and subscribe to the channel for more such interesting, original and unique short stories like 'The Coloured Stools'

Watch the Video version of The Coloured Stools on YouTube or Spotify. https://youtu.be/Ec21kEgiBLk?si=IDwE4_ffDkKYhS1R

This is the first story in this 'When I was your age' series 'The Chapatti and the Crow' set in Bombay, India in the 1940s. It's a true story of Grandma Milly narrated many years ago to her grandson Ved when he was just five years old in their cute bed time routine on her visits to Singapore. Little Ved was always wide eyed and sat in absolute awe as she brought the incident alive with her sound effects and funny expressions.

Synopsis: Ved is a little five year old boy residing in Singapore. He thoroughly enjoys his visiting grandmother’s stories of the past and gets transported back in time as she reminisces about her experiences when she was about his age, growing up in the 1940’s back home in India. She paints a vivid picture of vibrancy and culture as she relates her surprising encounter with a greedy crow. Will the cunning crow triumph in his attempt to steal her favourite chapatti? Find out in this endearing story about nurturing, bonding and the shared family history that gives children their sense of identity.

The intention is for this story to be part of a series of stories, originating in the Asian region, highlighting the culture, people and anecdotes of the past. All stories in these series will begin with, “When I was about your age.....” Children enjoy stories narrated by their own parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts as it gives them a feeling of connection, history and bonds them to their roots, grounding them and adding a sense of identity, which then lends beautifully to their personality development. The intention is for more such refreshing short stories to be carried forward for posterity.

Kids will get insights into the country of origin, presenting a flavour of the land, its people and their culture in a novel, subtle way making it interesting enough for little minds to absorb.

The difference between traditional folk tales or far-fetched, some even a bit horrifying, fairy tales and these stories is their simplicity and uniqueness, all based on true life incidents or every day family life, related by actual relatives, drawing from their own childhood memory bank. Young kids will be delighted and will very easily relate to stories such as this.

This story does not have an obvious moral or learning. But if parents were to look closely, play it over and discuss the story and the characters with their child, they could teach them valuable life lessons and get them in the ‘healthy curiosity’ habit to learn more by delving into the minute details. Parents are encouraged to explain the 'Glossary of terms', the explanations and the discussion notes at the end of each story, which will offer a holistic perspective.

We hope you enjoy, subscribe, like and share 'The Chapatti and the Crow' 🥰